The Jungle

Wednesday, 15 March 2017

Ink Road* recently contacted me and asked me if I'd like to take part in the blog tour for The Jungle, and of course I said yes (and squealed and did a happy dance, because this is the first blog tour I've ever taken part in!). As soon as the book was sent to me, I read it straight away - and I was surprised at just how delicately it handled the topic of refugee camps.

Pooja Puri's debut tells the story of Mico, a refugee child who has left behind everything he knows and loves in the search of a better life. Living in a camp in Calais, nicknamed as the Jungle for its brutality and wildness by those who live there, Mico is desperate to escape - but too poor to buy his way out from the Ghost Men, the people who can cross over borders whenever they like, he has no choice but to consider more dangerous alternatives.

When a girl named Leila arrives at the camp one day, everything begins to change. Fierce, headstrong and quick to think on her feet, she shows Mico that friendship can survive in unusual places. And that sometimes, when it's least expected, hope can unexpectedly grow.

Favourite quote:

'Later, he would remember that feeling. That realisation that nothing joined humans so much as pain.'

Favourite character:

Leila! She was definitely my favourite character in the book. Even after everything she'd been through, she still had a taste for adventure and finding trouble, and I loved her feisty, charming attitude so much.

3 words to describe the book:

Honest, important, eye-opening.

Rating:

✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮

The Jungle is out in the U.K. tomorrow, and if you like diverse books I definitely recommend picking a copy of it up! Although I felt like the pace of the book was slow at times, the plot definitely became more exciting towards the end and, ultimately, the beautifully written moments made up for it (like the story of the Baobab tree, told by Esther).

There are still a few spaces of the blog tour left before it ends, so if you want to read other reviews of the book, here are where to find them: